Course enquiries

About the course

Our challenging and competitive course gives you the rewarding intellectual experience of discovering the richness of both the French and English legal cultures. We are one of only five universities in the UK which qualifies students for legal practice in both France and the UK.

Your first two years on our prestigious LLB English and French Law course are spent at Essex, where you take the required modules in English Law for you to practice as a solicitor or barrister in the UK. You also take French law in both years, which is taught in French by four full-time academics.

At Essex, we are actively engaged in debates about the meaning of justice in the UK and beyond. We are ranked top 20 in the UK for research excellence (REF 2014), and our Human Rights Centre is a recognised international leader. We work with the United Nations and governments, human rights organisations and corporations all over the world. This means you graduate with a genuine worldview and a network of international contacts.

In your third and fourth years, you study at a partner institution in France, where you follow modules in French law to obtain the Licence en Droit and the Maîtrise/Master 1.

Not only will you learn legal rules, but you will also consider the function of law in society, the philosophy of law, policy issues and law reform. For instance, you address the rights of consumers, family members, prisoners, householders, workers and children.

Please note that you are required to be bilingual in French and English in order to be accepted onto this course.

Professional accreditation

A Licence en Droit and Maîtrise/Master 1, allowing students to proceed with professional exams in France

Study abroad

Your third and fourth years are spent at one of the following partner institutions in France:

Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense

Université de Lyon3

Université de Toulouse-Capitole

Our expert staff

All of our staff for our LLB English and French Law have experience of the French and English academic systems, so they understand the benefits of a dual education and appreciate the need for a supportive environment for international students.

Dr Clotilde Pégorier teaches French Constitutional Law. Dr Pégorier's areas of research include International Criminal law, especially the crime of genocide. She also focuses on the interactions between the different fields of international law such as human right laws and refugee law.

Dr Laure Sauve teaches French Private Law I, an introduction to law and family law, reflecting on how legal cultures shape the minds of legal practitioners.and French Private Law II (law of obligations) and has a particular research interest in French family law, building on her PhD and current research projects with Paris II, projects involving comparing family law across EU member states.

Dr Julian Sterck will teach French administrative law, including the elements of EU law that influences and shapes the current development of French administrative law. In particular, he focuses on the notion of constitutional identity and the legal dynamics it generates in the interactions between domestic constitutional orders and EU law.

Professors from our partner universities in France also regularly visit to teach topical issues in French law. They are additionally available to discuss your progression in France.

Specialist facilities

Volunteer at the Essex Law Clinic where you can work alongside practising solicitors to offer legal advice to clients

Take part in a mock parliamentary debate, acting as an MP to apply the knowledge acquired in your French law module

Participate in the prestigious Oxford French Law Moot, where judges are drawn from the Cour de Cassation (the French court of final appeal for civil and criminal cases) and a top French law firm

Peer mentors guide you through your first year

Take advantage of networking opportunities throughout the year with visiting law firms and our alumni association

Your future

We maintain close and well-established links with the legal profession.

Our recent graduates of LLB English and French Law have progressed towards various legal careers:

World Health Organisation (legal consultancy)

Jones Day

Slaughter and May, London

Lovells Law, Washington DC

SBKG, Paris

Others have secured positions across the spectrum of the legal profession, from multi-national city firms, through to large national and regional firms, to local high-street solicitors. Some have gone on to train for the French Bar and Judiciary, or to pursue their studies at Science Po Paris or in Écoles de commerce in France (such as HEC, EDHEC).

We also work with the university’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Example structure

Studying at Essex is about discovering yourself, so your course combines compulsory and optional modules to make sure you gain key knowledge in the discipline, while having as much freedom as possible to explore your own interests. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field, therefore to ensure your course is as relevant and up-to-date as possible your core module structure may be subject to change.

For many of our courses you’ll have a wide range of optional modules to choose from – those listed in this example structure are just a selection of those available. The opportunity to take optional modules will depend on the number of core modules within any year of the course. In many instances, the flexibility to take optional modules increases as you progress through the course.

Our Programme Specification gives more detail about the structure available to our current first-year students, including details of all optional modules.

Year 1

What are the principles of contract formation? And what are the remedial consequences of breach of contract? Study key concepts in contract and tort, and how they are placed in the wider framework of the common law of obligations. Apply your knowledge to resolve legal problems in simulated cases.

Understand fundamental features of the English legal system? Can you explain the meaning in a legal case? Do you cite legal/academic sources correctly? Examine the structure and role of legal institutions and professionals. Develop key skills for legal study, including group work, presenting information orally and researching legal materials.

What are the key features of property law? And what is the framework within which a property lawyer operates? Study the fundamental principles of the law of property in England and Wales. Satisfy the property law requirements of professional bodies if you wish to practise law in England and Wales.

This module introduces the fundamentals of the UK constitution and the foundations of judicial review. The module explores: the nature of the constitution; the structure of governmental power; the sources of constitutional rules; and the fundamental principles underpinning the UK constitution. The module considers the functions of the three branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial) and how they are accountable. The module examines the framework for protection of human rights in the UK and introduces the grounds of judicial review.

You’ll receive an overview of French constitutional law, including elements of EU law, and will focus on the techniques of legal writing specific to French law and French legal culture. You’ll acquire an in depth understanding of the style of reasoning and legal development of French constitutional law, and you’ll learn to think and work in French law alongside the English legal system.

You’ll gain an overview of the French legal system and French private law. You’ll look at the legal methods specific to French private law and French legal culture. You’ll acquire understanding of the style of reasoning of French private law and the relevant use of the civil code. You’ll learn to think and work in French law alongside the English legal system, and will gain the necessary background to analyse the key concepts of French private law.

What are the main skills expected of a law graduate? And what key personal factors will inform your career choice? Get ready for the opportunities and challenges of the graduate labour market. Undertake activities, workshops and session that help you develop, building your key skills and competencies.

Year 2

Who is liable for causing psychiatric harm? Or for causing economic loss? Study the foundations of negligence liability, examining further aspects of tort law. Gain experience of applying the principles of negligence liability to duty-based scenarios. Read and critically analyse judicial decisions.

What is meant by breach of trust? What are the constitutional elements of a fully constituted trust? How can that trust be terminated? Study the principles governing the law of trusts. Examine the development of equity, equitable principles and equitable remedies. Analyse social and legal contexts in which trusts arise.

When is it constitutionally justified to undertake judicial review? Examine judicial review challenges to the Secretary of State, local authorities and other bodies. Apply legal rules and principles to real-life situations, providing advice on the legality of action by public bodies. Communicate complex ideas effectively, orally and in writing.

How effective is criminal law? How do you break down a criminal law statute to its component parts? And how do you then interpret it? Understand criminal law in England and Wales. Read and critically analyse judicial decisions. Assess and answer factual problems, raising issues of criminal liability.

You’ll receive an overview of French administrative law, including the elements of EU law that influences and shapes the current development of French administrative law. You’ll focus on the legal methods specific to French law and will become familiar with French legal culture. You’ll acquire an in depth understanding of the style of reasoning of French public law, and will learn to think and work in French law alongside the English legal system.

Want to satisfy the land law requirement of professional training? And become familiar with land law terminology? Study the framework within which a property lawyer operates. Examine modern legal tensions around the conveyancing process and social justice (eg protecting the “rights” of those who aren’t legal owners of the property).

This module gives you an overview of the French law of obligations (contracts and torts), and focuses on the legal methods specific to French law. You’ll gain the necessary background knowledge of the law of obligations (including the efficient use of the civil code) in order to pursue your studies in French private law at one of our partner universities in France.

This module incorporates a range of teaching activities, workshops and panel sessions that encourage you to take ownership of your personal and professional development in order to compete in the graduate labour market. You will be able to identify, articulate and evidence your employability skills, and will develop a critical understanding of your place in the world of work.

Year abroad

Years 3 and 4 will be spent in France in one of our partner universities: the University Paris Ouest Nanterre la Défense, the University Lyon 3 Jean Moulin and the University Toulouse 1 Capitole. Students will there have the opportunities to choose between various L3 and M1.

Teaching

For most modules, you attend two lectures a week and one fortnightly tutorial

Tutorials provide the opportunity to discuss the law, apply the law to factual problems, and develop legal arguments

Basic IT skills training is available and training in the use of LEXIS and WESTLAW (legal research tools) is also given

You are encouraged to take part in moots (mock trials), negotiation competitions and other practical exercises

Your third and fourth years are taught at one of three partner institutions in France

Assessment

Virtually all modules are assessed by a combination of written examination and coursework

Examinations are held at the end of each academic year

Your first year marks do not count towards your final degree classification

Qualifications

UK entry requirements

A-levels: ABB, including one essay-based subject

A in A-level (or equivalent) French also required

IB: 30 points, including a Higher Level essay-based subject grade 5 and Higher Level French grade 6. We are also happy to consider a combination of separate IB Diploma Programmes at both Higher and Standard Level. Exact offer levels will vary depending on the range of subjects being taken at higher and standard level, and the course applied for. Please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for more information.

Entry requirements for students studying BTEC qualifications are dependent on units studied. Advice can be provided on an individual basis. The standard required is generally at Distinction level.

International and EU entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries.
Email admit@essex.ac.uk
for further details about the qualifications we accept. Include information in your email about the
high school qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.

IELTS entry requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall. (Different requirements apply for second year entry.)

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

If you are an international student requiring a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.

Other English language qualifications may be acceptable so please contact us for further details. If we accept the English component of an international qualification then it will be included in the information given about the academic levels required. Please note that date restrictions may apply to some English language qualifications.

Applying

Applications for our full-time undergraduate courses should be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Applications are online at: www.ucas.com. Full details on this process can be obtained from the UCAS website in the how to apply section.

Our UK students, and some of our EU and international students, who are still at school or college, can apply through their school. Your school will be able to check and then submit your completed application to UCAS. Our other international applicants (EU or worldwide) or independent applicants in the UK can also apply online through UCAS Apply.

The UCAS code for our University of Essex is ESSEX E70. The individual campus codes for our Loughton and Southend Campuses are ‘L’ and ‘S’ respectively.

Applicant Days and interviews

Resident in the UK? If your application is successful, we will invite you to attend one of our applicant days. These run from January to April and give you the chance to explore the campus, meet our students and really get a feel for life as an Essex student.

Some of our courses also hold interviews and if you’re invited to one, this will take place during your applicant day. Don’t panic, they’re nothing to worry about and it’s a great way for us to find out more about you and for you to find out more about the course. Some of our interviews are one-to-one with an academic, others are group activities, but we’ll send you all the information you need beforehand.

If you’re outside the UK and are planning a trip, feel free to email visit@essex.ac.uk so we can help you plan a visit to the University.

Visit us

Open days

Our Colchester Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex. In 2017 we have three undergraduate Open Days (in June, September and October). These events enable you to discover what our Colchester Campus has to offer. You have the chance to:

tour our campus and accommodation

find out answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, graduate employability, student support and more

meet our students and staff

Check out our Visit Us pages to find out more information about booking onto one of our events. And if the dates aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing tours@essex.ac.uk and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.

Virtual tours

If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tour allows you to explore the Colchester Campus from the comfort of your home. Check out our accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.

Exhibitions

Our staff travel the world to speak to people about the courses on offer at Essex. Take a look at our list of exhibition dates to see if we’ll be near you in the future.

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changes to a minimum, and will also keep prospective students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications.

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